monosyllabic

Single syllable only

Monosyllabic describes words of one syllable: *cat*, *through*, *strengths*.

More often it describes speech using such words—terse, uncommunicative responses: His answers were monosyllabic—just "yes," "no," "fine.".

A monosyllabic person gives little away, whether from shyness, hostility, or disinterest.

linguistic

utterance

Spoken expression aloud

gruntLow guttural sound
wordLinguistic meaning unit
speechOral communication ability

phoneme · vowel · consonant · morpheme · lexeme · sound · pronunciation · articulation · verbal · spoken

rhythmic

beat

Rhythmic pulse or strike

pulseArterial blood throb
drumStruck percussion cylinder
thumpHeavy dull blow

tap · stomp · chant · bass · stressed · staccato · percussive · cadence · meter · tempo

terse

curt

Abruptly rude in speech

bluntDull or tactlessly direct
brusqueAbrupt and dismissive
gruffHarsh in manner

abrupt · clipped · taciturn · reticent · uncommunicative · tight-lipped · reserved · unforthcoming · short · snappy

simple

basic

Fundamental in nature

plainBasic and unremarkable
elementaryOf first principles
primitiveIn earliest form

childlike · crude · blunt · stark · bare · sparse · unadorned · rudimentary · fundamental · primary

Categories

syllable countstwo syllables, three syllables, multisyllabic
word descriptorsbrief, lengthy, concise, verbose, abbreviated
syllablessyllabification, syllabication, disyllable, trisyllable, multisyllabic
introvertsintrovert, introverted, shy, reserved, loner
linguisticslinguistics, phoneme, phonemes, morpheme, morphemes

Opposites

syllable count

monosyllabicpolysyllabic

Having many syllables

multisyllabic · sesquipedalian

verbal expression style

monosyllabicverbose

More words than necessary

wordy · loquacious · long-winded · garrulous · talkative

Family

monosyllable, monosyllables

Familiarity: Top 200,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Rated G